New Music Roundup: Hallelujah the Hills, Paul & Storm, Spoon

Tuesday

Aug 5, 2014 at 5:20 PMAug 5, 2014 at 5:27 PM

Boston indie rockers Hallelujah the Hills have a new video out for the song “Try This Instead,” off the band's most recent album, “Have You Ever Done Something Evil?” It's a great, Dadaistic video, filled with all sorts of random nonsense, allegedly suggested to the band from its manager, who says the band is “one of my 10 favorite projects.”

Alas, we can't embed the video here, because the manager character swears quite a bit, but you can watch the video here. And if you just want to listen to the song, here you go:

Have You Ever Done Something Evil? by Hallelujah The Hills

Still, language concerns aside, it's amazing how much a video can change the tone of a song. Or, more precisely, change the listener's perception of a song's tone. Without the video, the song is a sad little snapshot of disintegrating romance, and a sense of hope that is both beautiful and seems sadly ill-advised. It's lovely, but somehow things change when you hear the song and add a visual of cake falling out of a trombone.

Meanwhile, the comedy duo Paul and Storm have a much more unapologetically disturbing and overtly hilarious take on love with the new video for their song, “Right Here With You.”

Lastly, Austin indie rockers Spoon have been kicking up some dust with their new album, “They Want My Soul,” and judging from the band's performance of the single “Do You” on “The Tonight Show” Monday, the buzz is well-deserved.

The band is super tight here, and the song is highly addictive, a nice blend of indie verve and straight-up rock 'n' roll groundedness. (Victor D. Infante)